The Truly Terrifiying

There’s something about horror that speaks directly and instinctively to the human animal. Millions of years of evolutionary psychology have ingrained in our minds certain fear triggers – a survival instinct – Fear of the Dark where predatory animals might be laying in wait – Fear of animals with large sharp teeth who would make a quick meal of us. Fear of Poisonous Spiders who can kill with one bite. Fear of what others may to do us, fear of what we may do to others… or to ourselves. People go to horror films because they want to be frightened or they wouldn't do it twice. You choose your entertainment because you want it to affect you. That's certainly true of people who go to entertainment products like horror films that have big effects. They want those effects. The line between comedy and horror is inextricably thin and often crosses. That’s why many people enjoy scary movies, the fun dark thrilling ride. My friends will no doubt confirm how many times, after a night out, I try to shoehorn them into ‘watching a scary movie’ with me. And I can confirm how often they toss their eyes in response. Mainly because, as with a lot of other people, the don’t like the sensation of feeling dread, but also, because of knowing me so well, that I usually, after a few beers on a Saturday, will be asleep and snoring after the first ten minutes…

Funny Games

Arriving at their remote lakeside holiday home, a middle class family are alarmed by the unexpected arrival of two young men who soon begin to subject them to a twisted and horrifying ordeal of terror. With characteristic mastery, Haneke turns the conventions of the thriller genre upside down and directly challenges the expectations of his audience, forcing viewers to question the complacency with which they receive images of casual violence in contemporary cinema.